Embassy of the United States Chisinau, Moldova

Last Updated: January 4, 2012

Overview

This memorandum provides guidance to local recruiting agencies and U.S. sponsors for the 2012 Summer Work & Travel program (SWT). We expect a large number of Moldovan students to apply again this year.  Because the program is only open to bona fide students, we consult with the Ministry of Education and the universities to determine who is a bona fide student.  We also work with U.S. sponsors, the Government of Moldova, and local recruiting agencies.

Dates and Deadlines

According to the Ministry of Education and Youth, SWT participants must be back in class no later than Monday, September 17, 2012.  The U.S. Embassy will only accept Certificates for Exchange Visitor Status (DS-2019 forms, which applicants require to obtain a visa) with dates that begin on or after Monday, May 21, 2012, and end on or before September 14, 2012.  We expect recruiting agencies to make travel arrangements that have their students back in class on time.

We will begin accepting applications for the Summer Work and Travel Program on February 1, 2012. The final day to apply for visa interview appointments will be April 30, 2012. We will conduct visa interviews until we see all scheduled applicants, or by the end of May, whichever is sooner.  All appointments must be scheduled in advance.  Agencies should request appointments as soon as
(1) they have gathered all documents, including DS-2019 forms,
(2) they have verified students' English, grades, and jobs, and
(3) they have ensured that their clients' online visa applications are complete and correct. 

Agencies should give completed application packets to the Embassy at least five business days before the appointments. Organize the application packets in the same order the students are scheduled. Students should come to the interview at the time and in the order scheduled by the Consular Section. It will generally take two business days after the interviews to process visas, which can be picked up at the U.S. Embassy on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 16:00 (except for Moldovan and American holidays).

Applicants Qualification Requirements

• Applicants must be students enrolled in a full-time course of post-secondary study and pursuing a degree from an accredited educational institution.  Imposters may be permanently banned from the U.S.
• Applicants must speak English enough to have a conversation. If your clients do not speak English, do not schedule them for a visa interview.
• Applicants must come to the U.S. Embassy for a personal interview.
• First and final-year students are eligible to participate in the program.  However, because final year students have had a particularly high overstay rate in the past, they may find it harder to pass their visa interviews. Older students, ages 24 and up, may also find it harder to pass their interviews because of high overstay rates in the past.
• Students from other countries who study in Moldova may participate in the program.  They do not have to present Moldovan passports.
• Moldovan students studying abroad should apply for visas at the U.S. Embassy in the country where they study.  For example, students in Romania should apply for visas at the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, Romania. 
 
Timely Return

Students must return to Moldova by September 17, 2012. Recruiters and/or sponsors who book travel for their participants should make flight reservations that get their students home to Moldova in time for the start of classes.

While U.S. immigration law permits J-1 visa holders up to 30 days to depart the United States after the conclusion of the program, it does not excuse Moldovan students from their obligation to return to their studies by September 17, 2012. SWT participants who return late will have a very difficult time qualifying for U.S. visas in the future.

SWT Agency Requirements 

SWT recruiting agencies must comply with Moldovan legal requirements.

The U.S. embassy will post on its website a list of SWT companies who have met all requirements.  Applicants from other agencies will only be accepted as individual applicants (the agencies will not be able to schedule blocks of appointments, and the students must schedule their own appointments).

SWT recruiting agencies must provide the following documents for their students five business days before their appointment:

• Cover sheet (hard copy) listing the first and last names of applicants to be interviewed on that date, in the same order as the documents are organized.  This page must also include the name of the SWT agency; 

For each SWT visa applicant:

• A passport valid for at least six months after the date on which the applicant plans to depart the United States (in most cases March 12, 2013);

• Confirmation page with barcode from the DS-160 online visa application, with the agency name written/stamped on it;

• One color photo, 5x5 cm, against a light background, taken within the last 6 months (only required if unable to upload photo with DS-160 online application);

• Bank receipt from Moldova Agroindbank for the non-refundable visa application fee (stapled behind the Confirmation Page);

• Form DS-2019 ("Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status," signed by the applicant) with program eligibility dates (found in block 3 of the form) between May 21 and September 14, 2012. Under U.S. address on the DS-2019 the employer's actual physical address must be listed. We cannot accept DS-2019 forms that list the sponsors' address. Do not send applicants with errors on their DS-2019 forms to the Embassy:

• A confirmed job offer with contact information for the U.S. employer, including full name, phone number, address, and email address;

• Student and Exchange Visitor International System (SEVIS) fee receipt.  All J-1 visa applicants, with the initial DS-2019 forms, are required to pay the $35.00 SEVIS fee. Applicants are required to pay the SEVIS fee before visa approval.  Instructions for paying the SEVIS fee can be found online at http://www.fmjfee.com/. 

• The applicant's original student grade book;

Please provide the documents in this order. Please put all of the documents for each student in his/her passport, NOT in plastic file holders. 

Applicant Requirements

• Students apply for visa interview appointments through their recruiting agencies. If a student does not use a local recruiter, he/she should request appointments via email at Chisinau-CA-SWT@state.gov.

• Each student must check-in with his/her sponsor upon arrival in the U.S. The student must tell the sponsor about any change of job or address. If you change jobs or housing without telling your sponsor, your program may be terminated, and you will have to leave the U.S. immediately.

We cannot take phone calls from applicants.  Students should contact their recruiters for all program information, or email Chisinau-CA-SWT@state.gov. 

Reminders
 
• The Form DS-2019 for students in Moldovan universities must indicate the start date no earlier than May 21, 2012, and end no later than September 14, 2012.
• Students are not allowed to work outside the dates of DS-2019 form, even if they are in the U.S. 
• Appointments will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Agencies must send their students’ personal data on our Excel spreadsheet. The format will include applicant name, date of birth, passport number, and place of residence, university, faculty, SEVIS number, and U.S. job information. 
• Please remind your students to leave their cell phones, computers, iPods, and other electronics at home.
• Although we will verify student enrollment directly with universities, recruiting agencies are still responsible for verifying the student enrollment status of their applicants.
• Recruiting agencies must give students the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (MAEIE) brochures and US Government workers' rights pamphlets.
• Make sure your students speak English!  Regardless of the job, they must be able to have a conversation with employers, landlords, bus drivers, store clerks, or anyone else they meet in the U.S.  If students don't speak English, they will not pass their visa interviews.  Please save the wasted effort for the students, the agencies, and the Embassy, and don't send applicants that don't speak English to the Embassy.